Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, has launched a large land requirement in the North West a month after selling its London headquarters.
The group, which disposed of Clarissa Baldwin House near Angel tube station last month, has instructed Box4 Real Estate to find a circa five to 10 acre plot in or around Merseyside.
It is understood that the charity would use the site as an animal welfare and rehoming facility and is looking for good road connectivity away from houses. It intends to make a freehold purchase.
Annual accounts last month showed a £4.6 million deficit for the charity last year, which it says was "planned in order to use reserves for developing new services". The charity has 22 rehoming centres in the UK and Ireland where it cared for more than 11,700 dogs last year.
Dogs Trust sold its long-term London headquarters at 17 Wakley Street last month, with the charity receiving around £9.25 million for the property, according to reports in charity sector trade publication Civil Society Media.
The sale was prompted by greater use of hybrid working by its staff since the pandemic, with the charity set to use some of the proceeds to refurbish its other London workspace, Edward House, opposite the sold site.
A spokesperson for the group said: "Selling Clarissa Baldwin House and renovating Edward House to become our main London base is the most financially viable and straightforward way to adapt our London office space to suit our needs, and we are excited about the opportunities this will give everyone.
"We received the market value from the sale of Clarissa Baldwin House, and a small proportion of the funds is being used to renovate Edward House to become a flexible, fit-for-purpose, and exciting new workspace for our London teams."